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Is this guitar a good upgrade for an upgraded beginners guitar?

  • So I've been playing now for about 1 & 1/2 months solid. And I've been practicing non-stop for like 6 hours a day. Sometimes I'll start at like 4:30 in the afternoon, but I can't put it down, so I won't stop until like 3:30 am. I'll be really tired in the morning, but I don't care because I'll just start all over again and write songs all day! And I honestly write like 10 songs a day, is that weird? Or is it just me that does that? It's become something I really love now. However, my mother is saying that she's not going to buy me a new guitar after 4 months of playing, 3 months with an actual teacher. But I've been teaching pretty much all the chords my self through a book that I got at a local guitar shop. Which has been a real live saver! But she's going to get me a teacher to learn music theory, and how to do technique properly and how to write better songs. And we found the perfect teacher. But I'm starting to hate the way my guitar sounds. I have a classical guitar, that I actually got for free (I'm not kidding). Someone just gave me it. It was only a $50 Hohner guitar though, nothing fancy. And I want to get an upgrade. I know I'll have to wait a little bit longer, but I'm interested in Breedlove's but they cost to much right now, so they're out of my price range. But I'm also interested in Fender's acoustic-electrics & Dean's acoustic-electrics. And I found one that's in my price range from Guitar Center.com, and I'm thinking of going to the actual store and trying it out, it's a koa. And I've been interested in those type of guitars for a while now too, but I didn't want to break the bank for a koa wood. And Dean's guitars seem to have good reviews. But I'm wondering is this guitar even good if it's $400? Or is it just the "lower-end" line of Dean? Because I really would like to buy it as an upgrade. I'm just concerned it wouldn't be a good brand. Here's the link: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Dean-Performer-Koa-Acoustic-Electric-Guitar-with-Aphex-106093370-i1549819.gc Dean seems to be a good brand, and a good price for all of their guitars too, not to high and not to low either. So this guitar seems perfect. But would it have a "brighter" sound? Because that's what I'm looking for now. And my budget is around $100-$450

  • Answer:

    I don't think it's worth it. That's a lot of money for an all-plywood guitar. I agree that you should get a steel string flattop acoustic guitar but at least get one with a solid wood top. Spend a little more and get a Taylor 114, for example.

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You don't get solid koa for that price - it's a plywood guitar. Plywood guitars can be bright, since they lack the richness of tone found in guitars made of better materials. But it won't sound like koa. Neither Dean nor Fender is noted for good acoustic guitars (they built their reputations on electric guitars), but you might find one you like. However, in that price range I'd suggest looking for something with a solid spruce top. You should try some Yamaha guitars while you're at the store - they tend to sound very good for the money. For under $400 you could find a solid-top Yamaha acoustic that you wouldn't outgrow for several years, if ever. Also, consider purchasing an acoustic rather than an acoustic-electric. You will get better unamplified sound from an acoustic at the same price point if you shop carefully, any electronic features will be wasted unless you buy an amp, and it doesn't sound like you need amplification anyway.

jcr

Yes you should upgrade from the Hohner - a $50 guitar is a toy, not an instrument. My advice, though, considering how short a time you've been playing, would be just to get yourself a decent basic guitar at this stage and save for your dream guitar (Koa or otherwise) to get later on. Something in the $150-200 range should be about right. Everybody has their preferences, but frankly the market is pretty saturated and competitive and the various guitar manufacturers know how to set their prices - which means you pretty much get what you pay for at any price point. Something from Yamaha, Fender, Ibanez, Jasmine/Takamine, Epiphone will do fine for now in that range. It's true that some of these companies really are better known for their electric rather than acoustic guitars, but at this price point it won't matter - we're not talking about comparing a Fender acoustic to a $3000 Martin or something. You probably don't need an acoustic-electric at this point, but it doesn't hurt either if you're ever going to want to plug in. Purists will say the A-E guitars sacrifice tone, but most folks won't hear the difference.

Jonathan

I have a Fender acoustic and I love it!! I've been playing for 2 or 3 months and its still as good as ever, although i do need to replace the strings soon (I like to really hit my stings on some songs)....i was looking at gettiing an acoustic-electric, but this is my first guitar.....I think it would be a wise choice to go with a Fender brand. also I have a very talented friend who loves to write and sing his own music and he plays with a Fender electric guitar. He asctually has two of them. one at his house and one at school. I hope i was of some help!

LizBeth

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